Like a Lullaby
by LegionOfMany
Summary: Following your friend to a rather special mask shop, you meet a young man named Uta. Yet, despite his intimidating looks, he seems like a very gentle person... right? { (Female) ReaderxUta! Genre and rating might change with the second chapter }
1. Chapter 1

_I AM ALIVE-! But only barely so, haha ;)_  
_I know that I have quite a lot of things to finish, but since I'm reading the manga and watching the anime right now, I had a lot of inspiration for this particular story! So yes, I hope you'll enjoy the first chapter~!_

* * *

You couldn't help but frown slightly, trying to make yourself smaller as your friend guided you through different dark alleys, past several brothels and some rather nasty looking groups of men. The area looked anything but friendly to you, and the rumors of ghouls roaming this city didn't exactly put you at ease either.

Ghouls... you luckily never had the pleasure to meet one personally, seeing that they were a rather rare sight in the part of Europe that you came from. Yet you had heard plenty of stories about them; mindless beasts looking like humans, attacking those foolish enough to step away from the crowd and devouring them. In fact, the place which Akane - your friend - lead you looked _perfect_ for a ghoul attack. But perhaps you were just paranoid.

She must have noticed your nervousity, because after the young girl gave you a quick look she smiled reassuringly, her expression somewhat sheepish.

"I know, it doesn't look very safe here - but I assure you, that you the place that I'm taking you is different!"

Since you had entered the school as an exchange student, it had been Akane who took care of you, showing you around and explaining everything to you. If it wouldn't have been for her during these past three months, then you still wouldn't be able to utter a single correct sentence in japanese, not to speak of the fact that you would have gotten helplessly lost - trusting her would be the least you could do.

Allowing yourself to relax slightly, you returned her smile softly, nodding in a sign that you decided to believe her. While she still hadn't told you just _where_ exactly you were going, you doubted that it could be anything bad. If someone was to look up 'nice' in google, then you were positive that a picture of this girl would show up.

It did not take too long though until she came to a halt in front of a building which, in your eyes, didn't look too different from the other ones around; grey walls were covered in graffiti with a bike parked in front of it. A sign was placed next to the door, and although you couldn't read quite all of the kanji, you recognized the ones for 'mask' and 'shop'. A mask shop...?

"Here we aaaare~! Come in, come in!"

Akane seemed strangely excited, although you didn't take this as a bad sign. Grabbing your sleeve she pulled you with her, gently but nevertheless determined. Leading you down a straircase she dragged you into a room right to the left.

Your eyes widened in amazement and surprise; not only was the room surprisingly clean, compared to the rest of the building, but there also were masks _everywhere_! Unfinished ones were scattered all over the place, resting on the faces on mannequins as they dried, others framed the walls or were displayed in cabinets of glass. It wasn't too big, but nevertheless rather impressive. Looking around, Akane tilted her head to the side before turning around to you again.

"Wait here for a moment, yes? I'll get the shopkeeper!"

Hesistantly you nodded, watching after the brunette as she left the room again, leaving you behind alone. After a few moments of awkwardly standing around, you decided that you would take a closer look at some of the masks - after all, as long as you didn't touch them, it should be okay, no?

Curiously you approached a rather colourful mask in the back of the room, resembling the face of a feline. Its lips were pulled into a wide smile, revealing sharp looking teeth, and for a moment you wondered if the artist perhaps got their inspiration from 'Alice in Wonderland'. Either way, you liked the mask. Despite it's rather intimidating first impression, it had something calming to it.

You didn't know how much time passed while you walked from one mask to the next, admiring the loving detail and realistic features, yet when you were in the middle of viewing a bunch of oni masks, wondering about their weight, someone right behind you talked, only few inches away from your ear.

** "Hello."**

With a surprised yelp you jumped away, turning around in the same motion which almost caused you to trip. Behind you - or, well, in front of you now - stood a young man. While his raven hair was kept long on one side, it was shorn on the other and tied up in a small ponytail with the exception of long bangs, which framed one side of his face. Several piercings and tattoos were visible on his body, yet what was most eyecatching about him certainly were his eyes; crimson irises surrounded by a dark black sclera.

For a moment you were so taken aback that you couldn't utter a single word and instead only stood there and stared at him with wide eyes and a racing heart, until you noticed Akane standing behind him, barely suppressing her laughter.

"Sorry, he likes doing that. This is Uta-san, he's the one making all these masks!"

Slowly allowing your racing heart to calm again, you offered the strange looking guy a small smile, holding out your hand in one of your western habits, before remembering that this wasn't the usual way of greeting each other in Japan. Yet, before you could retreat your hand and bow instead, Uta had already grabbed it, shaking it gently. Your smile widened slightly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Uta-san...! I am '-'."

Instead of replying in any way, the male leaned in closer to you which caused your smile to falter and slightly lean back in reflex as he sniffled the air. Was something off about your smell? The ravenhaired turned to your friend, head slightly tilted to the side.

** "Is she...?"**

Akane nodded, although you didn't quite understood what exactly they were talking about. Seeing how he still held your hand you carefully tried to pull away, but if he noticed your attempts then he simply ignored them. After a few moments in which Uta and the brunette seemed to be having a silent conversation, the man turned back towards you and finally let go of your hand. You pulled away with another nervous smile, before giving your friend a quick and questioning glance. The girl only smiled.

** "Would you like me to show you some more masks, '-'-san?"**

The question startled you somehow, yet since you didn't want to seem rude and actually were interested in them, you nodded softly.

"That would be nice, yes."

As he walked across the room towards one of the unfinished masks, you couldn't help but think about his way of speech; while you didn't know too much about all the different kinds of speech in japanese, you had noticed that, despite his looks, he spoke very softly and correctly, if not even somewhat old-fashioned. Something which you certainly hadn't expected from a person with his looks.

"You two look at the masks! I will be right back!"

Before you could say anything, Akane waved with a sweet smile before turning and exiting the room, leaving you alone with her strange friend. For a few seconds neither of you spoke, both just looking after the girl, before Uta sighed softly. Awkwardly you returned your eyes to him, your gaze questioning.

** "Akane-chan told me she would bring someone along today. But I didn't expect someone like... you."**

His words weren't meant as an insult, yet they were confusing. Had he, perhaps, expected one of Akane's other friends...?

"Uhm..."

Uta looked up and blinked as though he had just been pulled out of his thoughts, before softly tilting his head to one side. You noticed how, no matter his emotion, his expression barely changed.

** "Ah, sorry. That was rude of me. Come!"**

For the time he showed you some of his works in progress, and slowly you relaxed, soon feeling completely at ease. He was strange, yes, but you could see that he was of a gentle nature. And he certainly had a lot of artistic talent.

When you reached the feline mask again, you decided to ask where he got the idea from. When you mentioned the Cheshire Cat, he looked at you in mild curiousity.

** "Cheshire Cat? I didn't think of this when making this one, but I suppose there are similarities. Do you like it?"**

Eyeing the colourful mask you smiled with genuine admiration, nodding.

"It is beautiful, yes."

Without a single word his pale fingers gently took the mask down from the wall, before he placed it over your face, hiding your surprised expression. It was surprisingly light and comfortable to wear, breathing being nowhere as difficult as with most masks you had worn so far.

** "It looks very cute on you."**

You could feel your cheeks heaten up slightly at the compliment, and you were glad that the mask hid your blush. Sheepishly your looked down at your shoes you stuttered some thanks, before carefully taking the piece of art off and placing it back on the wall where it belonged. It was then, that your eyes spotted the clock which hung a bit higher, and a quiet gasp escaped your lips; more than an hour had passed already. Which was _a lot _more time than you had passed, and Akane _still_ wasn't back. Immediately you found yourself worrying.

"It's so late already, and Akane is still out! Do you think something could have happened? There were some really unfriendly looking men on our way here, and also - "

You stopped midsentence as the sudden fear that your friend might have been attacked by ghouls entered your mind. Uta seemed to understand.

** "Ghouls?"**

Looking down again you nodded softly, worrying your lips as you thought about what to do. Akane didn't carry a mobile phone with her, so calling wouldn't be a possibility. The ravenhaired male tilted his head to the side.

** "Do they scare you?"**

You wanted to answer with an immediate yes, but somehow you found yourself hesitating. It was true, right now you were frightened, but then again, you had only heard stories and never met one in person...

"I... yes, at least from what I heard. We don't have ghouls where I come from, so I never met one myself..."

In response, Uta only hummed softly and thoughtfully as he watched you out of his eerie eyes. For a moment you wondered if the lenses wouldn't get uncomfortable with time, but at the moment you were too busy thinking about Akane as though you could worry about that.

** "What do you know about them, then?"**

Unlike you, the male was completely calm and relaxed, head tilted to the side in curiousity as he waited for your answer. Didn't he worry for your friend's well being at all...? Perhaps he knew where she went. Hesistantly you replied.

"They eat human flesh... it is the only thing they can eat, so they do. Some of them blend in with humans almost perfectly, but someone told me that they could be recognized by their eyes. Apparently they turn a red and bl-."

Again you stopped midsentence, frozen as a horrifying realisation hit you so intensely that you could almost physically feel it. _Ghouls have black sclera and ruby irises_, your classmate's voice echoed in your mind. Black sclera and ruby irises.

For a split second, feeling like minutes, you and Uta only stared at each other, neither moving or saying anything, before you turned around and made a mad dash towards the exit. Perhaps you were overreacting, perhaps you were making a fool out of yourself right now, but the action had been instinctive, your feet moving on their own. You had barely gotten past the doorframe, when suddenly and roughly something pushed you against the wall, knocking the breath out of your lungs. For a second your vision was blurry and you blinked in a daze while whatever it was continued to pin you against the wall.

** "Don't run away. It would be bad if the doves were to find out about this place here."**

Uta's voice was still soft, no threat in his words as he spoke. Slowly your vision cleared again, and in terror you saw, that the _thing_ that held you in place was a long tendril which seemed to sprout from the male's back. The little blood that was left in your face drained from it, leaving you as white as a sheet as you stared at the ravenhaired like a doe in headlights. He really _was_ a ghoul. A monster.

In your head you could already see yourself being torn apart and devoured by the male, and no one would ever find out what happened. Was Akane eaten too? Or were they partners in crime? Had your friend been a ghoul all along?

You wanted to fight, call for help, do _anything_, but instead you only found yourself being completely frozen in fear, your heart racing with such strenght that he could probably feel it through the fabric of your uniform. You had often read about paralyzing fear, yet this was the first time you experienced it yourself, and in all honestly, you could do without.

Uta looked as though he wanted to say something, his gaze inscrutable as he observed you with an expressionless face, but instead he stepped closer, raising one hand and reaching for your face.

And this was the point, where your body and mind gave up and darkness took over your vision.

* * *

_*laughs as I make yet another cliffhanger*_

_I hope you liked what I wrote so far! I'm still trying to figure out how exactly I want to portray Uta, so I am sorry if I got anything wrong in your eyes ;w;° _

_Either way, from here on I'll let you people decide what happens~! I have two different endings in mind for this story, so now it depends what you'd rather have; a somewhat fluffy and happy ending, or one of my usual dark ending where you get eaten? ;)_


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing which you noticed upon waking again was the cold air which brushed over your face. It was not exactly uncomfortable, yet it felt strange, since you were perfectly warm from the neck down. Shifting slightly you tried to raise your arm, finding it to be surprisingly hard, as though something was weighting down your limbs.

Slowly you opened your eyes, brows knitted together in drowsy confusion, yet you were quickly forced to close them again; after the comfortable darkness of unconsciousness, the light around you was blinding to the point where it was almost painful.

Grimacing, you started another attempt, squinting and blinking away the tears which had naturally accumulated in your eyes. However, the source of light appeared to be right above you, making it near to impossible to open your eyes easily.

Something entered your blurry vision, blocking the light from it and allowing you to open your eyes completely – only to make them widen in _shock_ just after; right in front of you, only few inches away from your own, was the face of Uta, staring down at you expressionlessly. He had placed his hands on each side of your head, kneeling above your sleeping form as he observed you.

Part of you wanted to scream, yet all you managed in your surprise was a high-pitched squeak, similar to the sound of a rubber duck. The ravenhaired's expression above you changed into one of slight disappointment, head gently tilted to the side.

"**I thought you would scream louder…"**

Leaning back again, the ghoul gave you some more space, yet did not move away from the bed (which you realised you were lying on, by now) completely. Crimson irises scanned your pale face, not seeming to mind your still petrified state too much.

"**It is good that you are awake though. How are you feeling?"**

How were you feeling? There was a ridiculous amount of emotions and thoughts swirling around in your head, but you decided that it was fairly safe to say that you were horribly, horribly confused. And fairly worried by the fact that a man-eating creature was currently more or less pinning you down, yet mainly you were confused.

"I… where am I?"

Instead of answering him, you went with the 'counter-question' option. Your voice was croaky and still somewhat higher than it usually would have been. Uta was silent for a moment, looking thoughtful, before finally leaning away for good, sitting on the mattress instead.

"**You are in my apartment. I didn't want to leave you in the hallway, since someone might have stumbled."**

You looked at him insecurily, not quite sure wether he had just made a joke or was actually serious. With his unreadable expression, it was hard to tell - but then again, you probably had entirely different problems to worry about. He was still on top of you, seeming fairly nonchalant about it, making it impossible for you to escape if you would try to.

Why had he brought you here? If he wanted to devour you, couldn't he had done so back at the shop? Or, were there certain rules like in some religions? Was it not kosher to eat you while you were unconcious?

Several questions ran through your head as you stared up at him, unable to pose any of them. Multiple seconds passed, both of you just awkwardly looking at each other in silence, until he blinked as though having realised something.

**"Ah- Are you thirsty?"**

The question did _so_ not fit into what you had expected coming from him, that it startled you for a moment, worry momentarily disappearing from your face to be replaced by bafflement. Thirsty?

**"I will get you some water. Please wait here."**

Apparently the ghoul had taken your silence as a 'yes', finally shifting above you and straightening up, before gracefully getting up and exiting the room, leaving you alone with your increasingly growing confusion. The entire scene was so... _unspectacular_ compared to what you had imagined, that it took you a moment to realise what had happened.

He didn't eat you though. That was... good, right? Carefully and slowly you pushed yourself up, grimacing at the pain which shot through your sore back at the movement. You felt like a pony had been tap-dancing on top of your back - which was probably understandable, looking at the strength with which he had slammed you against the wall... yesterday? How long had you been out?

You would have to ask him, seeing how you yourself had absolutely no idea, which was slightly unnerving. Not knowing what else to do, you insecurily took a look around inside the room you were in. What you had considered a bed was, in fact, a simple mattress on the floor - a floor that was _littered_ with paper, sketches and details of masks and other random looking drawings.

Different kinds of posters plastered the walls, together with some finished and on-progress masks. You recognized some of the bands shown on the posters, but most of them were foreign to you. It was strange... this room seemed so incredibly _human_. It told you about his hobbies, his interests, his talents. It certainly didn't look like a monster's den (Although your grandmother might not agree, looking at some of the band posters which were featured on the walls).

Still sitting on the mattress, you hesitated for a moment before reaching out and picking up one of the crumpled papers that was closest to you, carefully neatening it before looking at the notes and sketches on it. From the looks of it, it appeared to be a design for a mask... or, well, it was _supposed_ to be. Seemingly unhappy with it, Uta had roughly scribbled all over the page in a clear sign of frustration, before finally crumpling up the paper and tossing it aside. At least, that was what you _assumed_, just looking at this.

When you thought of ghouls, you imagined senseless monsters... dirty, crude. Living in the sewers or broken-down buildings, only _mimicking_ humans whenever it was beneficial to them. When you thought of ghouls, you thought of hideous monsters... not of people that enjoyed crafts and listened to _Deep Purple_. Or got frustrated over failed designs, for that matter.

With growing confusion you put the page back where you had taken it from, no longer sure what you should think. You had been taught that they _were_ nothing but beasts. Dangerous, merciless, cruel. That an encounter with them would _always _end deadly, that they were mindless. Was he an exception...? Then, what about Akane - assuming that she _was_ a ghoul as well? Which side was the one trying to feed you lies?

"**Are you hungry?"**

Once more not having noticed him entering the room, you flinched visibly when his voice suddenly sounded from the entrance, head whipping around to meet his eyes. If your reaction amused or bewildered him, he - as before - didn't show any signs of that, merely looking at you as he stood in the doorframe.

"Y-Yes! Err- I mean no! T-Thank you, I am not hungry, haha-!"

You stuttered your reply, hands quickly raised as you felt as if he had just caught you doing something bad, attempting to act normal in order to mask that odd feeling of embarrassement.

"**It's okay," **he interrupted you, seemingly misunderstanding your reason for declining. **"I have pop-tarts. Normal ones from the konbini."**

Lowering your hands, your eyes widened mildly when remembering what _else_ he could have offered you. Despite thinking about it _constantly_, it had slipped your mind when actually conversing with him... Then, you remembered something else, standing in contrast with what _he_ had just said.

"Uhm… I heard you can't digest our foods, so why do you…?"

That made Uta think for a while, red eyes momentarily looking at one of the many posters on his walls in silence, before the ghoul shrugged.

"**They got sprinkles on them.", **he said as though that was a convincing argument for buying pop-tarts at random.

"**So, would you like them?"**

Hesitating for another moment, you looked at his oddly coloured eyes, before deciding that there could be worse things to get from a ghoul than _pop-tarts. _And not only that... there was a part of you, that wanted to learn more about him. Give him and his kin a chance to show you, what their real nature was... Maybe it was foolish, but it was your wish.

"Then... if you don't mind, I will happily take some."

For a moment, he just held your gaze, seeming _thoughtful_ for once as he studied your face, before finally nodding.

"**Alright. Please wait here for a moment. I will bring them."**

With this, Uta left the room one last time, leaving you behind with your confusing feelings and thoughts. Somewhere from within his apartment you could hear cupboards being opened and closed, followed by shuffling sounds, before finally the familiar _ping!_ of a _toaster_ reached your ears. When the ravenhaired returned, he was carrying a simple black mug and a small plate with pop-tarts (they had, _indeed_, sprinkles on them, which you found oddly hilarious).

Placing the plate down on the floor next to you, just besides a glass of water which you only noticed now, the ghoul sat opposite of you, holding the mug between long, pale fingers. For a moment, you considered to go and try to take a peek at its contents, but remembering just _what_ you might see in there, you reconsidered. Instead, you carefully lowered your head in a grateful fashion, stuttering some quick thanks.

Then you both just sat there, you in awkward silence, he in mild amusement - or so you assumed. Maybe he was also just spacing out. Or wondering how you'd taste on toast... Shifting carefully, you tried to think of something to do or say, the silence making you uncomfortable out of _many_ reasons. Finally, the question which had been burning on your tongue the longest, was bubbling forth before you even had the time to think it over.

"Are you going to eat me?"

He seemed just as surprised by your sudden straight-forwardness as you yourself, eyes momentarily widening again, before he looked down at his mug. Once more he fell into thoughtful silence - something which seemed to be a habit - before shrugging and raising it to his lips, answering you rather nonchalantly.

**"No."**

You sat dumbfoundedly, letting his reply sink in. Was he lying? Or was he genuinely not intending to eat you? Was someone else going to do it? Were you just horribly overthinking this entire situation? The more you tried to figure it out, the less did you understand, and with every passing minute you could feel a headache growing behind your forehead.

"But... why?"

He glanced at you over the rim of his mug, swallowing whatever was inside it, before setting it down in front of him again. For a moment, you could _swear_ that you'd seen the corners of his lips twitching.

**"Do you want me to? I suppose I could nibble on you, if you wish."**

You raised your hands so quickly, you almost knocked over your plate, shaking your head vigorously, blood draining from your face.

"T-That's not what I meant! Y-you don't have to, really!"

Rather than leaning back again, the Ghoul reached out to wrap the pale fingers of one hand around your wrist, grip strong but not uncomfortably so. Pulling your hand closer to his face, he watched you unwaveringly through his eerie eyes, finally bringing your fingertips to his lips.

**"Are you sure? You have a nice smell. I wouldn't hate it."**

You sat, completely frozen, and simply stared as his lips parted, teeth grazing against your skin, the sensation sending shivers down your spine. And _still_ was he observing you, seeming to be _curious_ about how you would react. You probably were expected to fight or scream, or at least _struggle._

But instead, as your brain and your instincts fought for control over your body, you simply blurted out the first thing that came to your mind, considering it to be a striking argument during that one second.

"But I don't have sprinkles-"

Silence followed to that statement, neither of you saying or doing anything for a few seconds, simply staring at each other befuddedly - before Uta began to _laugh._ After his constant lack of expressions, this action completely threw you off guard, surprise causing your eyes to widen once again at the sound. And it wasn't the movie-villain kind of laughter, either, but instead a cheerful and _pleasant_ melody. A sound, which - despite the entire situation - caused all fear to fall off from you. A being with such a nice laugh just _couldn't_ be a monster.

The moment only lasted for a few seconds before the young man quieted down again, yet it had been enough to calm you down - and causing your cheeks to flare up as you realised just how _stupid_ your reply actuall had been. Setting your hand down surprisingly gentle, the Ghoul inclined his head apologetically.

**"I'm sorry, that was mean. But that was a very nice response."**

Unsure what to say or do in return to this, you just ran your fingers through your hair, giving an awkward laugh before averting your eyes and deciding to _avoid_ having to say anything by taking another sip of your water. However, it didn't _seem_ as though you had to reply after all, seeing how a loud knock on the front door rang though the apartment, causing you to flinch (almost spilling water all over yourself) and Uta to glance over his shoulder.

Waiting for a moment, the ravenhaired simply listened, until finally a second, more impatient knock sounded from the door. Moving his mug out of the way, the young man got back onto his feet, giving you a quick glance as he walked out of the room.

**"Wait here, please."**

And with this, he disappeared from your sight, leaving you to wonder just who - or _what_ \- was the visitor.

* * *

_This took so much longer than expected OTL Sorry guys!_

_But here we go-! Due to popular vote, it's gonna be a good end. I hope I didn't butcher Uta's character too much in this chapter...  
Next chapter will come... sooner or later lol_

_See you next time~!_


End file.
